Casting Shadows
by DeadRich18
Summary: She was his. His and only his. He would play with her, he would protect her, He would break anyone who dared lay even a finger on her head! But time passes, things change. That damned bug showed up, and now she was risking her life for others! he will not stand for this. He will protect his little sister from all threats. No one hurts his sister and lives! NO ONE! (UP FOR ADOPTION)
1. Prologue: New Tenants

**I don't own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir. I do however own the original characters.**

 **Fifth story! I got into Ladybug this summer and have been hooked on it since. Not so much on the show, which is still good, but rather for the amazing pieces of work drawn and written by its fans. I actually got into the fanfictions before I even started watching the show, which lead me to forgetting which character was which and coming up with my own image for them. (For a while I kept imagining Sabrina with Alya's skin tone and Chloe's hairstyle and fashion sense).**

 **Anyway, this story features a version of the very first OC I've ever thought up, (I say version because I've imagined two other versions of him for stories I have been thinking up for a very long time.) It's also one of the first fics I've started where I know how I'm going to end it, which is good because it lets me focus on the real meat of the story.**

 **I would like to thank eNCee Death for their support and help. Their story,** _ **Through a Doll's Eyes**_ **was a big inspiration for me with this story, along with the book,** _ **The Graveyard Book**_ **by Neil Gaiman, (check them both out, their great).**

 **And for those of you who read Grimm Heir, don't worry, I'm still working on the next chapter. I just wanted to write something else in between.**

 **Now, onto the story! Hope you all enjoy Casting Shadows!**

* * *

 **Casting Shadows**

 **Prologue: New Tenants**

This was _his_ house…

His house…

Always has, always will be…

Since the time before, it had been his house. Since the time after before, it was his house. And for years and years and years after the time before, it was still _his_ house.

Many had tried to take his house from him. Buy it, change it, live in it, make it _theirs_ …

He drove them all away, save for the ones he really, really, _really_ did not like…

Those, he made suffer. Those, he made beg. Those, he made experience the same sentence he had carried out on _Them_ …

 _Them_...

It had been so very long since _They_ had lived in this house… back in the time before…

Years and years and years ago…

He did not know the exact number of years, he had stopped counting after he got to twenty, for he could not count any higher. It had been much more than twenty years since then, he knew that at least. He had forgotten so much of the time before, forgotten so much of what it was like outside this house.

But he remembered some things…

He remembered his friends. His ever present companions and playmates. They were easiest to remember, because they were still here with him. They remained loyal to him even now after the before. They would play with him, dance with him, and share secrets with him just as they had done in the time before.

Such good friends…

 _They_ hated his friends…

 _They_ were easy to remember too, or more accurately, _They_ were too difficult to forget. He did not know _Their_ faces, _Their_ names, or _Their_ voices, all of that had been forgotten, but he remembered _Them_ all the same. Remembered what _They_ did to him for talking with his friends, for not doing the things _They_ told him to do… for protecting _Her_ …

Her…

Oh, how he missed her! She was the hardest to remember from the time before, but she was what he treasured most. She had been so small, so fragile, she had not deserved to be in the presence of _Them_. _They_ never loved her, never saw her beauty or innocence, _They_ only saw a waste of space. An unwanted creation. A mistake.

 _They_ were the mistakes!

He remembered keeping her away from _Them_ as often as he could. He remembered feeding her bottles of milk, remembered playing with her to make her laugh, remembered sleeping with her to give her comfort in the cold nights, remembered taking her with him to meet his friends… and remembered how _They_ reacted when _They_ found him and her talking to his friends.

And that was when the time before ended, and the time after before began.

He wasn't sure how or why it happened, but somehow he had managed to endure _Their_ … punishment and return.

Only he was changed…

He was like his friends now, so much like his friends, yet also somehow not so much like his friends. _They_ could not hurt him now, but he could hurt _Them_!

He made _Them_ pay! Made _Them_ hurt! Made _Them_ beg! Made _Them_ cry! Made _Them_ scream! Made _Them_ bleed! Made _Them_ break! Made _Them_ unravel! Made _Them_ worthless!

He made _Them_ gone, and made sure _They_ didn't come back like he did.

It was only him… him and sweet little her.

But this bliss was painfully brief. Soon, others came to the house looking for _Them_. When they saw what was left, saw her rocking in her crib unharmed and happy, the others _took her away_!

They took her from him!

She was his, and they took her! It wasn't fair! It wasn't right! She was his!

He raged at her absence. Cracked the floorboards, shook the ceiling, rattled the stairs, shattered the windows, but he did not go after her. He did not go and find her. He did not go and save her.

He could not…

He could not leave this place. He was trapped here…

Others came back the morning after his tantrum, different others. Others dressed in green and wearing green bowls – no, helmets – on their heads. Some were dressed in tan. One other was dressed in black and did not have a helmet. The black one called out him, knowing he was here, and asked him to show himself. He did not listen. He did not trust others! Others took her away from him.

He wouldn't let them do the same to him! This was his house!

Eventually, these others stopped coming and new ones came in their place. He didn't like these ones either, because they took everything else in the house! The furniture, the candles, even her little crib! They took everything that wasn't nailed down. They didn't get her bottle though, they didn't get her rattle. He hid them away before they could find them and take them away too.

These thieving others stopped coming once everything was gone, leaving him and his friends alone once again. Until _more_ others showed up and started putting their things in his house. He was sick of others by this point, he didn't want any more in his house.

He and his friends drove them off. They were very good at it, others were very frightened of things like him and his friends, especially since they could not hurt them, or even notice them.

But that was not the last time others tried to claim his house. And so he and his friends drove them away too. Sometimes it took longer, sometimes it took shorter, sometimes it ended with the others turning out like _Them._ But it would always end with him and his friends as the triumphant defenders and the others as the retreating savages.

It became a game for him after a while, a way to have fun, a way to pass the time. He'd never drive off others the same way twice; too boring. Sometimes he'd let them get comfortable before scaring them away, sometimes he'd start scaring them the moment they set foot in the house. It was fun watching their reactions, seeing their minds unravel until they couldn't take it anymore.

And he'd have more of his fun soon enough.

A while ago, a pair of others came to the house, a big one and skinny one. The skinny one was showing the big one around, talking about how great it was and encouraging the big one to buy it.

He watched with glee as the big one agreed to buy the house, excited to at the idea of new toys to taunt and torment.

He and his friends waited and waited and waited for the big one to return. It wasn't until many, many, many days later the big one returned. He watched from a window as a truck pulled up alongside the house, followed by a smaller car. The big other from before stepped out of the small car, along with another, much smaller other.

He watched as more others showed up and began moving things into his house, but he didn't pay attention to them. Those others were just here to move boxes and furniture, they'd be gone by the end of the day. His focus was on the big and small others.

They didn't come inside, not right away. The big one waited as the smaller one took a small cloth bundle out from the car before heading towards the front door. With great speed, he and his friends rushed down to the first floor of the house, stopping just where the staircase entered the first floor to watch the pair of others open the door and walk inside, bright smiles on their faces.

"See, Sabine? What did I tell you?" The big other asked its smaller companion. "This is the perfect place to set up our bakery! We can have the shop set up down here, and live up on the second floor."

The smaller one, Sabine, looked around the room with a curious eye. "It's a bit… bare, Tom."

"Not when we're down with it!" The big one, now recognized as Tom, proclaimed. "Just you wait, once the ovens are set up, _Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie_ will be the best bakery in all of Paris!"

Bakery? They wanted to turn his house into a bakery? That was different. Most others simply wanted to live here, they didn't want to turn it into a… bakery, whatever that is.

Didn't matter, they would be out of here in no time once he-

Movement caught his eye. The bundle in the other named Sabine's arms was squirming and writhing and wiggling like a maggot. Sabine noticed this and began bouncing the bundle in her arms and cooing to it. The big one named Tom looked down at the bundle with an expression he had never seen on an other before.

"Seems I'm not the only one eager to be here." He said softly as he gently took the bundle from Sabine's arms and held in a way that-

He froze. His friends froze. Everything froze.

It couldn't be…

It was a… a…

"Take a look, Marinette." Tom whispered softly to the tiny, fragile, helpless baby staring out into the room with big blue eyes. "This is your new home."

An infant! A baby! A little girl!

Just like her…

* * *

 **~o0o~**

* * *

The move went off without a hitch. The movers were able to get all their things in the building an hour ahead of schedule and went on their way, leaving the new family alone with their new home.

Tom was proud of himself. He had been searching all over Paris for a suitable home for him and his wife and baby girl. Their old apartment building was too small to raise a child in, and Tom needed somewhere he could set up their bakery.

And this building was the perfect place.

Located on 12 Gotlib Street in the 21st arrondissement, it was situated near one of Paris's greatest and well known structures, the Eiffel Tower and was just across the street from the Collège Françoise Dupont. That meant they'd have a steady stream of tourist and students coming in to enjoy his and his wife's delicious pastries.

And he got it for a super low price too!

Admittedly, he was a bit nervous. When he saw people walking by the building, their new neighbors, they always looked at him with pity and fear.

He didn't understand why. The agent had said this was a great building, perfect for business and residential living.

So then why did he feel a chill running down his spine?

He shook his head. Probably just new home jitters. This was a big day for them, after all.

He and Sabine began unpacking soon after the movers left. They started with their room, putting the sheets on the bed, placing their clothes in the drawers, hanging coats and dresses in the closest, and of course, setting up Marinette's crib.

Since this was the first day at their new home and it'd be a while till the nursery room was ready for her, Sabine wanted Marinette to sleep in their room. Tom didn't argue, he loved his little girl and having her staying in their room at night meant she'd be safe.

He looked over at his daughter, sleeping in the car seat they had brought in for her to rest in. Tom still couldn't believe she was already a month old. He smiled as she slept, completely tuckered out from watching her mom and dad do all the work while she sat there and giggled.

It must be _so_ exhausting watching other people do the work. Of course, she was cute about it, so he let it slide.

There was still work to be done, so with great reluctance, Tom turned around to get back-

Something dark darted across the floor in his periphery. Tom turned to see what it was, but saw nothing but Marinette and the rocking car seat she slept in. Tom blinked in confusion, he was sure he saw something move across the floor…

… …

It must have been his imagination. Maybe he'd take a quick break, have something to eat. The fridge had been set up and plugged in by the movers before they left, Sabine wouldn't mind if he snagged something from it.

Tom tip-toed away from Marinette, trying his hardest not to land on a squeaky floor-plank and accidentally wake the sleeping baby. He somehow managed to make it to the fridge without hitting a single one, no small feat for one of his size, and went to work figuring out which food he might indulge himself with.

Completely ignorant to the fact that Marinette's seat had not been moving until after he saw that "imaginary" thing skid across the floor…

* * *

 **~o0o~**

* * *

All day, they had spent all day taking things out of boxes and placing them on shelves and tables, in drawers and closets. He and his friends watched it all from their hiding places, darting between spots sometimes to confuse the new others, but they did nothing else.

They did not taunt or frighten, they did not break or move things. They only watched and listened.

It was nighttime now, the moon was at its peak. The others were asleep in their bed and the… the… the little one was in her crib.

He… he had to see her…

It had been so long… so long since he saw one like her.

He wanted to make sure she was real… _needed_ to make sure she was real.

So he crept up to her crib, extra careful not to make any noise even though he was completely noiseless. He slithered up a leg post, his friends close behind him. And peered down into the crib with such care and slowness, it might seem as if he wasn't moving at all.

She was… she was… so small…

It was the only thing he could think of as he stared down at this tiny, pink-clothed baby. She was incredibly small, like she had been, all those years ago. Her torso was small, her legs were small, her arms were small, her hands were small, even how she breathed seemed small! She was like a little doll.

He wondered, did she feel like a doll?

It had been so long since he felt flesh. He forgot what it was like. Would it be hard and cold like glass in winter? Or would it be soft and warm like cloth sitting in the sun?

With all the quietness and care he could muster, he reached into the crib with his hand, his friends all crowded around him in anticipation to what would happen next.

His hand started shaking. Was he nervous? Afraid? Excited? All three at once? He did not know, all he knew was that he needed to touch this child.

His finger made contact with her cheek, and he felt as if he would explode. It was so unlike anything he'd ever felt before! Warm and soft, but nothing like cloth, he was amazed by the sensation it sent through him.

It made him feel… alive…

He pressed harder, wanting to know if the feeling would grow the more he pressed. It didn't.

With a disgruntled whimper, the little girl began to stir. Her eyes clenched, her face scrunched up, she began writhing in her crib.

He drew his hand back lightning fast. What had he done!? Had he broke her!? Was she going to explode!? He didn't want to hurt her! How could he fix this!? How!?

It surged through him like a wave. A… memory of the time before. An answer to his crisis.

 _Shhhhhh…_ He hissed softly to her. _Shhhhhh…_

He kept hissing to her, recalling how he would do this to soothe her back in the time before when she would start to cry. It worked well here too. The little baby stopped her squirming, but did not go back to sleep. Instead, she opened her eyes and looked up at the one who had woken her.

Her eyes were so big and so beautiful. He felt as if he was staring at the sky when he looked into them. There was so much wonder in them, they gleamed with curiosity and innocence. He had never seen something so pure!

She reached up to him with her pudgy little hand, gurgling noises leaving her mouth. He was stunned. He was excited. He was fascinated. She wanted to touch him back!

He leaned his face into reach of her hand, letting her do to him what he had done to her. She tried to grip his face, but lacked the proper motor skills to hold on. She began to pout at her lack of progress, until he reached in again with his hand and brought it close to her own. She grabbed his finger with surprising strength and stared at it with wide eyes before smiling a toothless smile of victory.

Seeing her happy made him smile too. Not a malicious or mischievous smile, not a smile born form others sorrows, but one brought about by the simple act of making this tiny little girl happy.

Like he did back… back in the time before with her…

This had to mean something! It had to mean something! It had to mean-

 _Hello, little Marinette_. He greeted her with a gentle voice, recalling what the big one named Tom called her. _My name is Conor… but you can call me, Big Brother._

It had to mean he could have a little sister again!

Only this time, _no one_ was taking her away from him…

 _No one!_

* * *

 **Author's Note: Well? What did you think? Love it? Hate it? Leave a review and let me know! For any of you who are curious about Conor, you can check out a sketch of him on my DeviantArt page, my username is the same as here. Or, you can copy and paste this: art/Conor-Half-Face-634483729 his backstory is on there too, hope you like it!**

 **As Always, Please Fav, Follow, and Review! Thank You!**

 **DeadRich18 Out!**


	2. Chapter 1: Listen

**I don't own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir. I do however own the original characters.**

 **Chapter one, up and running, and only after two days of starting this story! I just want to say thank you to everyone who has read it so far. I know these chapters are kind of short when compared to my other stories, but it just seems to flow better right now. I might start posting longer chapters, but that won't be for a while. Also, changing the rating to T, but will change it back to M later. Why? That's for me to know and you to find out!  
**

 **Onto the story!**

* * *

 **Casting Shadows**

 **Chapter One: Listen**

Sabine didn't understand it. The bakery had been open for weeks now but they were getting barely any business. Tourist season was still far off, so their main source of income for now was the students and their neighbors, but since opening they've had just a few dozen customers over the course of several weeks.

Tom thought it was because of how new the bakery was. He had gone off earlier today, after finishing a fresh batch of begets for the day, to find someone that might help them get their bakery's name out there and draw in more customers.

Sabine loved her husband, she truly did, and she admired how much faith he had in this place, but she saw how people walking by looked at their house, saw the apprehension and pity in their eyes. Something was up with this house, something the real-estate agent had failed to mention to them when he sold them this place.

She had started noticing it a few days after they moved in. A lamp she had placed on the nightstand of their room was found sitting on the floor, the identification cards for the pastries and breads would be switched, and she couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched.

Not to mention what's been going on with Marinette…

 _Jingle-Jingle!_

"Good morning, Sabine!" The co-owner of the bakery was jarred from her musing by the doorbell and the sound of a very familiar voice.

"Good morning to you too, Nadja!" Sabine greeted back to her old friend with a smile, stepping out from behind the counter to give her a hug. "How've you been?"

"Just great! I finally got my dream job, you are looking at TVi's newest reporter!" Nadja responded, before pulling out of the hug. "But what about you? How've you and Tom been since you moved here?"

Sabine's smile fell at the question. "It's been… difficult." She admitted. "We've been open for weeks but barely anyone has come in. You're the first one to come in today, actually."

Nadja looked surprised. "I didn't think it would that bad." She said after a moment, mostly to herself.

Sabine blinked. "What do you mean?"

"When you told me where you were moving, I did a little research." Nadja began, but then stopped. "The agent really didn't tell you anything about this place?"

"Only that it was the perfect spot to have a bakery." Sabine answered.

Nadja rolled her eyes. "Of course they wouldn't tell you." She grumbled. "Do you mind if we talk upstairs? I'd like to see more of the house, not to mention I haven't seen Marinette since she was born."

"O-of course." Sabine answered, a bit worried by what her friend might tell her about her new home. "Let me just turn the sign over."

"Before you do, can I purchase a couple boxes of croissants? I'm heading back to the studio at 1:30 and I'm sure everyone there would love your pastries."

Sabine smiled, thankful for her friend's purchase and willingness to spread the word about their store. "Of course, Nadja."

Sabine picked out the finest of their croissants and placed them neatly in the boxes before handing them over to Nadja in return for some much needed Euros. Nadja accepted them with a smile, but left them on the counter when Sabine switched the 'opened' sign to 'closed' and gestured for her to follow her upstairs.

"So, how is little Marinette doing?" Nadja asked as she climbed up the staircase.

"She's been an absolute angel." Sabine said with smile. "She just smiles and giggles at everything. I haven't heard her cry in days since we moved in. Only…" Her smile faltered and she stopped climbing the stairs.

"Only what?" Nadja asked, worried for both her friend and the baby girl.

Sabine turned to look back at her friend with a sigh. "Sometimes-"

"EHHHHAAHHHH!"

A loud, high-pitched squeal interrupted the mother's words, and jolted both of the women with its abruptness. Sabine's eyes shot upwards towards the door leading into the living room where Marinette's playpen currently was. Maternal fear raced through her system, and Sabine resumed her march up the stairs at an increased pace with Nadja not far behind.

She opened the door and couldn't help give a startled gasp at what she saw.

"Marinette!"

Her little baby girl had somehow escaped the confines of her playpen and was currently sitting propped up on the coach by several pillows.

It would have been cute, if it wasn't for the fact Marinette was just over two months old and nowhere near the age where she would be capable of climbing out of her playpen and onto the coach all by herself.

Sabine rushed over to pick up her baby out of fear she'd fall over, given how much she was waving her arms around. Marinette reached out to her mother with a smile when she finally noticed her, her little hands opening and closing in the universal baby gesture of 'hold me'.

But once Sabine brought Marinette to her chest, she felt a chill run down her spine. One she had become incredibly familiar with since she started living in this house.

"How on earth did she get out of her pen?" Nadja asked, approaching Sabine.

"I have no idea, Nadja. Ever since we moved in this sort of thing has almost become a regularity." One that Sabine was _not_ okay with.

Her friend blinked in surprise. "This has happened before?"

Sabine nodded her head. "Much too often for my liking." She sat down on the coach, still holding her baby close. "Nadja, I think something is wrong with this house." She didn't feel like dancing around the topic. Sabine needed to let someone other than her husband hear what she had to say. "I keep seeing shadows and hearing strange noises, not to mention Marinette's escaping from her playpen. I've never been one to jump to conclusions, but…" She didn't finish her sentence, her mind catching up with her mouth and realizing how absurd she was sounding.

"You think the house might be haunted?" Nadja finished for her.

"It's stupid, I know-"

"No, it's not." She interrupted, earning a raised eyebrow from the mother. "Listen. I told you, I did some research on this place and I found some pretty disturbing stuff. If what I found is true, a murder happened in this very house sometime in World War 2, after the Allies liberated Paris from the Nazis."

Sabine felt the blood drain from her face and held Marinette closer. "M-m-murder?"

Her friend nodded her head grimly. "Yeah. And a pretty grizzly one too. The only survivor was a baby girl. The parents were found ripped apart and their son's body was never recovered."

Sabine was starting to feel faint.

That certainly explained why people avoided their house, and why the real-estate didn't go into detail about the building's past. They were probably raised on stories about this murder house as children, warned to never go near it or the ghosts of the dead parents would steal them away.

And she was living in it, living in the house were nearly an entire family was butchered.

She didn't realize she was shaking until she felt Nadja place her hands on her shoulders. She looked at the reporter, seeing worry and concern in her eyes.

"Sabine, are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

"We need to leave." She gasped out. "I need to tell Tom, I need to tell Tom we have to leave-"

"Sabine, calm down!" Nadja's grip strengthened. "You're overreacting!"

"No!" She shouted, shooting up from her seat, panic fully gripping her. "You just said this house is haunted by a murdered family!"

"I never said that." The reporter stood up and placed her hands back on her friend's shoulders, keeping her from moving away. "I just said they were killed here, that doesn't mean they're haunting it. It's just an urban legend used to scare kids."

Sabine got goosebumps when Nadja said that.

"There is something wrong with this house, Nadja. It's not just a legend." She was whispering the words now, terror had seized her heart. "I… I can feel it…"

"What are you talking about?" Nadja adopted a look of great concern.

"Ever since we moved here I've felt like we were being watched." She admitted. "Every minute I spend in this building, I feel eyes on me, watching my every move. _Something_ is watching us, and-"

"Sabine," Her friend interrupts her with a firm voice, "breathe, slowly. In and out, in and out." Sabine doesn't respond for a moment, she's too busy following her friend's instructions, feeling her heart rate calm as she did so. "There's no ghosts," Nadja says after a minute, "you're just stressed. It takes time to adjust to a new home, the lack of business probably isn't helping." She wraps Sabine in a gentle, calming hug, careful of the baby still held in her arms. "And I definitely didn't help by telling you about the… that unpleasant piece of history."

Sabine stood there for a moment. Maybe Nadja was right. It had been a very stressful few weeks for her. Raising a child and running a business with only two people was a very taxing situation, and the lack of customers was likely adding a great deal of frustration to it as well.

She remembered hearing something about how the mind plays tricks on itself when stressed. Maybe this was one of those tricks?

Nadja pulled away from Sabine and flashed her a brilliant smile. "Tell you what. How about I tell everyone back at the station to come over here? A lot of them have kids, and I distinctly recall seeing some of your famous cookies in the display case downstairs." Despite her earlier panic, Sabine felt herself smile at the compliment. "Trust me, once they've had a taste of your croissants, they'll be regular customers of _Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie_ in no time!"

Sabine blinked in surprise. "You'd do that for us?"

"Of course! We're friends, Sabine. Friends help each other. Besides…" She leans down so she eye level with little Marinette, who looks at this new face with her big, bluebell eyes. "Not helping the mother of this cute little sweetheart would be an unforgivable crime." She taps the baby's nose, making her squeal in delight.

Both women giggle at the reaction, it was just too cute.

"Well, thank you, Nadja." Sabine says as she rocks Marinette in her arms "I really appreciate your help, and I'm sure Tom will too."

"Where is Tom, by the way?" Nadja asks, and Sabine finds herself holding back a giggle.

"Trying to find someone to help with the same thing you just agreed to."

Nadja laughed and Sabine found herself joining in. "Well, he's a determined one, I'll give him that." She gave Sabine one more hug. "I'll see you around, okay? You need anything, don't hesitate to call."

Sabine nodded her head. "Of course, have a good day, Nadja."

"You too."

With that. Sabine watched as her friend went down the stairs and left the building. She moved to one of the windows to watch her walk out with the two boxes of pastries she had originally come here for.

Sabine was grateful for what Nadja was doing for them. The TVi studio had to have scores of people working there. If Nadja managed to get them to start ordering from her and Tom's bakery, this house might not turn out to be such a bad investment after all. Maybe the locals would start coming in too after they saw how many people from TVi were buying from them.

Sabine looked down at the baby in her arms, her beautiful little Marinette, and recalled how much this house made the girl happy. A house that made a baby laugh and smile as much as Marinette did couldn't possibly be haunted by angry ghosts, it was absurd!

What had she been thinking?

There was no such thing as ghosts.

She was just stressed…

* * *

 **~o0o~**

* * *

Conor watched as the small other, Sabine, placed his little sister back in that… that… cage.

Others were such strange things. Why put a baby in a cage? Cages were meant for animals and monsters and bad, bad, bad things, not babies! Babies were none of those things! And this baby was his little sister, she especially was none of those things!

Marinette had been happy just sitting on the coach, she didn't need to be put back in that cage. He didn't like seeing her in a cage. It made him angry! Not, 'making his missing half burn' angry, but still pretty angry. Especially when he had just taken her out of it.

But Marinette, bless her little soul, didn't seem upset with being imprisoned again. She just laid there on her back looking up happily at the ceiling where Conor and his friends were hiding after their performance was so rudely interrupted.

Conor and his friends had been in the middle of conducting a grand play for his sweet little sister when the friend he had keeping watch warned him that the two others downstairs were coming up the stairs, giving the performers enough time to stop the play and hide on the ceiling… Just as they were getting to Marinette's favorite part!

He really wanted to hurt those others sometimes, he really, really did. He wanted to drive them away from this house forever, leaving only him, his friends, and his sweet little Marinette alone in the house.

But if he did that then more others would come looking for them, and when they see Marinette _alone_ they'd take her away from him… Just like before…

So he…. _Grrrr_ …. Tolerated them, for now. He still scared them whenever he wasn't with his little sister, but hearing what he just heard made Conor feel worried.

The new other had told Sabine pieces of the beginning of the time after before, pieces that scared her a lot. Normally, Conor would revel in such panic, but her words troubled him and she had held Marinette far too tightly for his liking.

Conor _did_ want them to leave, this was his house not theirs, but if they did leave they would take Marinette with them. He didn't want to lose another little sister, the pain from when she was taken was something he and his friends never wanted to experience again.

And that is what Sabine had wanted to do when she heard what the new other told her. She wanted to take the big other, Tom, and sweet Marinette away from here, away from him, and never return. She somehow knew he couldn't follow after them if they left. He didn't know how, he didn't care how, all he cared about was keeping Marinette here, with him and his friends.

Where she belonged.

Marinette cooed and gurgled up at Conor and his friends, her tiny hands reaching out in a vain attempt to grab them off the ceiling. Like everything she does, it made him smile. He leaned down from his spot on the ceiling, inching closer and closer to his adorable sister. His friends also drew closer to Marinette, but they weren't as flexible as him, so they had to crawl down the walls to reach her.

They crawled up and into her cage, writhing around her like worms in mud, tickling her every time their bodies brushed against hers and making her giggle uncontrollably. Some even draped themselves over her tummy, which always resulted in her chasing them away when she tried to grab them.

His friends were loyal and good friends, but they did not like being grabbed. Touching was fine, they loved being pet, but they never liked being grabbed. They were not meant to be grabbed, not that Marinette knew that.

Once he was close enough, Conor twisted his body in a way that detached himself from the ceiling and let him land in the cage without spooking Marinette.

It was a small cage, and the large number of his friends made it cramped, but Conor made himself fit. He weaved his body around and about his friends, subtly positioning himself so that his body completely encircled Marinette. He rose his head off the floor of the cage and loomed over her like a great serpent, his one eye staring into her two.

For a while, he just looked at them. They were simply so captivating, so full of joy and wonder, fasciation and curiosity.

So much like hers…

But she was gone now, gone forever. Never to return to him and never to remember him.

But Marinette wasn't gone. She was here, she was here and she was happy! She'd stay here with him, she'd smile at him, she'd laugh with him, she'd remember him… She'd be his little sister. His, his, _his_!

But for this all to be possible, a sacrifice would need to be made. A great and terrible sacrifice that would change everything that defined him and his friends. But if he wanted to keep his sister with him this time, it needed to be done.

 _Marinette,_ he cooed to her, twirling a strand of her hair around his finger, _I am going to stop scaring those two others._

Oh, it was hard to say that! He really liked driving off others, it was the source of one of his greatest joys, but if he drove these two off they'd take Marinette with them.

And besides, (even though he really, really, _really_ hated admitting it), If he scared them away, Marinette might get sad. She really liked those two others, she smiled at them as much as she smiled at him. They fed her and cared for her and made her laugh just like he had done with her in the time before. Not at all like _Them_.

Conor could respect them for that, reluctantly.

He and his friends would still give the others a start from time to time, they needed something to do when they weren't playing with Marinette. But the scares would be sparse and small, something they might think a mouse or a rat would be responsible for. It wouldn't be much, but it was better than doing nothing.

His friends definitely did not like this proclamation, he could hear it in their whispers and writhings. They loved frightening and hurting others, loved seeing them scream and panic. It was the only thing they knew how to do besides watching and hiding and telling secrets to those who could hear them. It was something they had learned from Conor, something he had taught them when the time after before began. They treasured it dearly and did not like to have it restrained.

But they were his friends, and if he did not want them to do something they would not do it. No matter how much they disagreed, they would listen and follow his decisions.

Conor did not like having to deny his friends one of their greatest joys, but it had to be done. Perhaps he could come up with a substitute activity for them, but what? What could he have them do that didn't involve scaring others out of their skins? What, what, what?

A squealing yawn made Conor look down at his sister. Her eyes were getting heavy and her squirming was slowing, she was getting sleepy. A part of him was sad, Marinette wouldn't be able to stay awake for the rest of the play now, but another part didn't mind. She was a baby, and babies need their sleep to grow up strong and healthy.

Besides, a play could be rescheduled. They could start over tomorrow.

His friends whispered sweetly to the drowsy child, soothing her journey into slumber. The whispers of his friends were old and powerful things, they were completely silent but could still be heard… if one had the patience to listen.

Conor had learned to hear their whispers during the before time. They had taught him when he was very young, though he did not know how young. Through their whispers he learned many secrets, interesting secrets, embarrassing secrets, secrets that _They_ did not want others to know.

He forgot these secrets at the beginning of the time after before, but he remembered how to listen for them…

How to listen…

Yes… That's it! That's it! That is what they would do!

 _Sleep, Little Sister_ … Conor cooed softly as Marinette's eyes finally closed. _Sleep long and sleep well. Tomorrow, you will learn how to listen!_

* * *

 **Author's Note: The first part of this chapter was a tricky one at first, but I think it ended up pretty well. If it seems a bit rushed or forced, I apologize and ask that you explain in a review why you thought this. Time skip coming up, not a drastic one, but fair warning, there are going to be quite a few time jumps in the next few chapters.**

 **As always, Please Fav, Follow, and Review! Thank You!**

 **DeadRich18 Out!**


	3. Chapter2:Passing Time & Precious Present

**I don't own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir. I do however own the original characters.**

 **Hello! Took a little longer than I originally, but still proud of it nonetheless. Also, I forgot to mention: if you want to ask me questions in your reviews, I WILL answer them and post those answers above the title of the next chapter. If you read Grimm Heir (Which I am still working on don't worry!) You know what I mean.**

 **Also, reference to an old animated movie in this chapter, see if can find it, and post what you find in a review.**

 **Onto the story!**

* * *

 **Casting Shadows**

 **Chapter Two: Passing Time & Precious Presents**

Teaching someone how to listen was a lot harder than Conor thought it would be!

For months, Conor and his friends had been showing Marinette how to listen. She was learning, but very, very slowly. It wasn't Marinette's fault, she was just a baby, after all. She didn't know how to be patient or pay attention yet, her mind was still young. Not to mention they had to have their lessons in the dark so she would focus on sound instead of sight only that just seemed to confuse her into thinking it was nap time. Still, that didn't mean they weren't making _any_ progress.

She could hear the whispers and was capable of responding to them, (sort of), turning her head towards whichever friend spoke them, so there was that at least. Hearing wasn't listening though, but it was a good sign all the same. Conor and his friends began focusing on teaching Marinette simpler whispers, ones meant for greeting and praise, attention gainers. It was really tough, and since Marinette couldn't speak yet it was hard to gauge her progress, but Conor had faith in her.

She'd learn to listen eventually, he knew she would! She was his little sister, it was only a matter of time.

And when she did learn how to listen, Conor would teach her other things. New things. Different things. Secret things! Things only he and his friends knew about.

For now though, they were taking a break. Learning how to listen was tiring business, and Marinette wasn't like Conor and his friend, she needed sleep. They didn't.

So Conor and his friends let her sleep, content with just watching her lay there in her crib, peacefully oblivious to the world around her and that dreadful commotion going on downstairs.

The two others, Tom and Sabine, had been extremely busy as of late. Dozens of others were coming into and out of his house almost daily. It was confusing. The others who lived around his house had always been too scared to go inside, only the bravest of them dared approach his home, and even then they never went inside.

These others were different. He did not recognize them as the skittish creatures he'd watch walking the streets outside, these were strangers, strange strangers.

He said strange because they would come into his house, speak with either Tom or Sabine, point out pieces of food they wanted, be given the food by Tom and Sabine, hand them pieces of paper or metal or sometimes both, and then leave. Why did they come into his house if they weren't going to stay? And why were Tom and Sabine giving away food for bits of metal and strips of paper? Didn't others need food?

He didn't understand others sometimes.

Still, they must be doing something right. Since these strange others started coming in and taking all their food, Marinette had a lot more toys and knickknacks than she did when she first came here and a strange hanging thing now loomed over her crib. Tom called it a 'mobile' or something. Marinette loved it and his friends had fun riding on it when it spun, bringing Marinette even more delight.

So much was changing now. Not in the metaphoric 'he was letting others stay in his house' sort of change though, the literal sort of change. The first floor of his house was completely unrecognizable to him now, transformed into Tom and Sabine's bakery thing. The walls of the second floor were repaired and repainted, and strange little holes were being installed all over the house. So far, the only place they hadn't touched yet was the attic where they were keeping the boxes and things they had not bothered to unpack when they came here.

But it was only a matter of time before they set their sights on it. Others couldn't stand letting things stay the same.

He'd seen it before, through the windows. He and his friends watched as others changed the buildings around his house, watched as they changed the cars they drove, watched as they changed what clothes they wore, even the street and sidewalks were changed.

Conor didn't like change, it annoyed him, irritated him, aggravated him. His house had remained unchanged for as long as he had been here, a bastion of stagnancy in an ocean of change. He liked its dark walls, its creaking boards, its dim lights, its shuddering windows, they made scaring and hiding all the more easier for him and his friends.

But now they were gone. His bastion of stagnancy had been breached by the flooding waves of change. Gone were the dark walls, the creaking boards, the dim lights, and the shuddering windows. They had all been changed or replaced.

It made his missing half simmer with anger. This was his house. His! He was letting them live here out of the goodness of his heart and they had the nerve to go around changing things without his permission!?

If it didn't mean he'd lose Marinette, he'd have chased those two out the moment they entered his house all those months ago.

But it _would_ mean that. So Conor could only sit and watch as his house, his sanctuary, his bastion was torn apart from the inside. He would need to move his treasures out of the attic soon, before it was made into something else too.

He didn't want to think about what might happen if they found his treasures, what they might do to them… the last things he had of hers…

Conor looked down at his sleeping little sister, marveling in her preciousness and wondered...

Wondered if he could give Marinette the treasures. Yes. Yes! That's what he'd do! He'd give Marinette his treasures. She would love them, they were absolutely perfect for her!

Conor dove off her crib and made his way to the attic where he had his treasures stored. He climbed up the walls, onto the ceiling and slid through the trapdoor leading into the attic.

Mountains of boxes greeted Conor, empty and full alike, but he wasn't here for them. With a grace only one like him could achieve, he weaved his way through the boxes until he reached the ladder leading up to the loft that lead out of the house. This loft was where he kept his treasures hidden and safe, behind a loose panel marked with five shallow nicks on it.

With reverence-like care, he removed the panel from its place and laid it down on the floor, revealing an open space inside the wall. The space was small and dark, bug husks were littered about it, and in its center sat his treasures.

Carefully, Conor reached inside and removed his treasures from the space. He smiled down at the treasures in his hands, enjoying how they felt in his grip and the happy memories that flowed into him from them. The sight of her smile, the sound of her laughter, the warmth that she exuded.

And all these things Conor would soon experience again through Marinette.

He placed the panel back in place and sped back down to his sister's nursery with his treasures held close so he wouldn't drop them.

She was still asleep when he came back, still resting, still dreaming, still safe. His friends hadn't moved from their spots on her crib and mobile, watching her, keeping her protected while Conor was away.

Such good friends they were…

He slid quietly towards the dresser of the nursery, extra careful not to shake the treasures and wake her up, and switched that cheap, unworthy piece of garbage sitting on its top with the first of his two treasures. The treasure was shaped like the trash he had swiped it with, but it was made of glass, not that strange… whatever it was that the garbage was made from. And the treasure's rubber tip was softer and far gentler than that of the garbage, Conor made sure of it.

His treasures might be old, but he and his friends always made sure to keep them in perfect condition, just in case… Just in case…

He looked down at the garbage in his hand with a one-eyed glare. He would have crushed it and ripped it and teared it in his grip then and there if he didn't know it would make a lot of noise. The strange stuff it was made out of sounded like shredding paper when it broke, only louder and deeper. It would wake Marinette up, and that was unacceptable.

He'd break it later, somewhere else, when she wasn't sleeping.

With his first gift in place, Conor moved to place the second. He crept up to Marinette's crib, his friends making way for him as he approached. He looked inside to see his little sister still lying on her back, surrounded by plush toys and his friends. Her right arm was stretched out to her side, her tiny hand absently grasping air.

With all the care a big brother could muster, Conor gently placed his second treasure in her begging grip.

He smiled widely as he watched her clutch the treasure, and even wider when she brought it to her chest with an unconscious smile on her own face. The treasure rattled softly from the movement, but the sound did not stir his sister.

Conor was pleased. In the time before, she had loved this treasure the most. Its rattling chime never failed to bring a smile to her face. He could remember her sitting in his lap, giggling and squealing so happily, as she shook the treasure about.

Now he could do the same – for the most part – with little Marinette. She'd shake the treasure, hear its chime, and squeal and laugh and giggle in the purest of delight!

Just like she had…

* * *

 **~o0o~**

* * *

 _Marinette~… where are you~?_ Conor weaved about the room, searching for his hidden sister. _I know you're in here~_ He also knew where she was, but she didn't need to know that. It made her smile when she thought she was outsmarting him.

A giggle behind the drapes was stifled, and inquisitive friends' questions were shushed.

It made him smile knowing she could listen for them. Marinette had gotten very good at listening since he started teaching her. She still had trouble with it sometimes, and would try to talk to his friends when she was with others, but it was still a long way from when she was a little baby.

 _Are you under the bed?_ He looked underneath the piece of furniture with dramatic enthusiasm, earning more amusement from his hidden sister. _Hmmm, not under there. Where O where O where could Marinette be?_

Had they not known he was simply playing with her, Conor's friends would have whispered Marinette's whereabouts to him. But since he knew where she was that meant it was not a secret, and they did not whisper about not-secrets, those were boring. So they simply watched as the siblings went about their little game of Hide and Seek.

 _Are you behind this lamp?_ That got a big laugh from Marinette, one she couldn't repress.

With a mischievous smile, Conor crept up to the drape where she was hiding. He could see her little feet poking out from under it, see her wiggling in place, hear her giggling through her hands. With lightning speed, Conor swept the drapes away to reveal his little sister with a big smile on her face.

 _Found you!_ He cried, enticing a happy shriek of her own that dissolved into even more giggling and also clapping.

"YAY!" The toddler exclaimed, bouncy excitedly, "Big Budder turn now! Budder turn!"

Conor chuckled lightly at her joy. _That's right. Now I'm going to hide, and you're going to find me, okay?_ She put on a determined face, but couldn't contain that happy gleam in her eye. _Good, now turn around, close your eyes, and count to ten. And remember, no peeking!_

She did as she was told, but before she even started counting, Conor had already hidden himself away behind her many stuffed animals.

The Hide and Seek was as much another lesson as it was a game. Knowing how to hide and knowing how to seek were very important things to know, especially when it came to friends. They loved to stay hidden, and they were very good at it. If Marinette was to know how to listen to friends, she must also know how to find them.

And, of course, the hiding was for if she ever found herself in trouble and Conor wasn't there to save her… He didn't like to think about that-

"…two, firty-eight, TEN! Weady or not, here I come!"

Conor pushed those thoughts away. Play time with Marinette was more important, and more welcomed, than thoughts of her getting hurt and him not being there to help her, save her… or make the ones responsible beg and break and bleed for hurting her.

 _No one_ was going hurt his little Sister. Especially if they could not find her.

* * *

 **~o0o~**

* * *

"…happy birthday to you~ Yay!"

With the end of the birthday song, the room erupted into cheers and clapping. Everyone was gathered around a big table Papa had set up in the bakery, a lot of them were wearing shiny party hats Mama had handed out at the start of the party, and all of them were looking at the end of the table where she and the ginormous cake were.

"Blow out the candles and make a wish, Marinette!"

She thought for a moment, then with a great big smile, the four-year-old girl in the puffy, pink dress followed her father's advice and blew out all four candles sticking out of the cake, resulting in even more cheering and clapping.

Marinette could hear Big Brother and his friends congratulate her too, which made her smile even more because their cheers were the most sincere. They were the only ones she really knew at her birthday party, a lot of her guests were kids of Mama and Papa's friends, and she suspected they were only here for a piece of Papa's yummy cake. Still, they were nice to her, they played and laughed and ran around the house with her, so she guessed they could be called friends.

"What did you wish for?" A boy to her left asked. She didn't remember his named, or anyone's for that matter. There had been way too many introductions for her to remember the names of everyone present.

She hoped she wouldn't have this much trouble with names when she started preschool.

But back to the boy, he asked her a question, and like Brother said, 'a question needs an answer'. He was smart like that.

"I can't tell you, it's a secret!" She tells him. "Papa says if you tell someone your birthday wish it won't ever come true!"

It _was_ an answer, just not the one he was expecting. An answer didn't have to be true to be an answer, Brother said so.

The moment she said it was a secret though, Brother's friends started pestering her for the _real_ answer. They couldn't help it, really, their curiosity for secrets was just too strong for them to control sometimes. Thankfully, Big Brother was there and he calmed his friends down before their curiosity got too out of hand.

The boy himself seemed to accept Marinette's half-answer, and quickly went back to eyeing the cake as Mama began handing out slices to everyone.

As the birthday girl, Marinette got to pick her own slice. She asked Mama for a big one with the flowers and butterflies and ladybugs on it. It looked the tastiest. Mama nodded with a smile and cut out Marinette's piece with the cake knife and placed it on a pink paper plate for her.

When she got it, Marinette almost dug right in, but she didn't. Oh, she very much wanted eat the piece of cake in front of her, her mouth was watering from the sight alone, but she needed to do something first.

With all the precision a four-year-old girl holding a plastic spoon could manage, Marinette cut the slice of cake in two. She pushed the smaller half of her cake to the side, saving it for later.

Not so _she_ could eat it later, no, certainly not that. It was so she could give it to Big Brother when everyone was gone.

But that was also a secret! A secret surprise for Big Brother.

Marinette loved her Big Brother. He was always there for her, giving gifts and teaching lessons, never wanting anything back. He was like Mama and Papa, only funner, (and he didn't force her to eat veg-a-tibles).

She was very thankful for him, like she was thankful for Mama and Papa. But it made Marinette feel sad sometimes, knowing how hard Big Brother and his friends worked and never getting anything for it. They didn't have toys to play with, or story books to read, or even clothes to wear!

And when he told her he didn't remember when his birthday was, which boggled the little girl's mind, she knew she had to do something.

It was really hard to keep a secret from Big Brother and his friends. They heard and saw everything that happened in the house, (it was theirs after all). If Marinette didn't want them finding out about what she had made for him, she had to do it in the one place they wouldn't see her or hear her.

The balcony.

Big Brother and his friends couldn't go outside the house, and the balcony _was_ outside. In the days leading up to her birthday, Marinette had spent a lot of time up there to work on her gift to Big Brother, (under Mama or Papa's supervision).

There were curious friends on the balcony, different from the ones inside. They got their secrets from the pigeons that would sometimes perch on the railing. They couldn't come inside the house, but they could still whisper secrets through the windows, walls and doors of the house. When Marinette first met them, she used what Big Brother taught her to befriend them. And when she started using the balcony for her surprise for Big Brother she politely asked them not to whisper her surprise to Big Brother and his friends.

It was a really tall order to make. Knowing and sharing secrets were what a friend loved and was best at, but she had been very polite about it, and friends really like it when you are polite to them, so they promised not to tell. Once it wasn't a secret, they'd lose interest anyway.

She had finished her gift for Brother two days ago, and hid it in a box she kept hidden in the balcony. She was going to give it to him with the cake and make him really happy and proud with her!

Until then, Marinette would enjoy her own cake!

She dug into her slice with gusto, savoring each fluffy sugary bite. She heard Big Brother warn her to take smaller bites or she might choke. She swallowed just as his words reached her ears and her next spoon full of cake was much smaller than her first.

Nothing good came from ignoring Big Brother's words.

He didn't tell anyone else to take smaller bites though, he didn't like to talk to anyone besides Marinette. He said it was because he didn't like other people, he only liked Marinette, but Marinette had different thoughts. She thinks he is just shy.

After all, you don't hide from people if you're not shy, certainly not when there is a party happening. But Marinette didn't judge her brother for his shyness, she was really shy too.

She wanted to just hide away with Big Brother and his friends when all the people started coming in for her party, but Mama and Papa told her not to be afraid and that everyone was here for her and just wanted to talk and play with her. (That and how it would be a shame she'd never get a taste of the cake they made for her if she stayed hidden away).

Mama and Papa always knew just how to bring the little girl out of her shell.

Speaking of Mama and Papa…

"Alright everyone, it's almost time for the show!" Papa announces loudly, gaining everyone's attention with promise of a show. "So let's all get upstairs before it starts. Bring your cake with you if you're not finished, but don't forget to bring a napkin."

A show? There was going to be a show at her birthday party? How exciting!

Marinette wasted no time getting out of her chair and speeding towards the stairs with the rest of her party guests. But just as she was about climb up the stairs she stopped. In her excitement to see the show, Marinette had forgotten about Big Brother's slice of cake!

Turning around, she saw the plates left on the table being picked up one by one by Mama and several other adults. Most of the plates were cleared of food, but some still had a good amount of cake.

Then she saw one of the adults reach for her plate, where she had left Big Brother's slice.

Marinette's eyes went wide. "NO!" She cried out, running towards the grownup with hands outstretched and ready to snatch the plate away from him before he could take. "I'm not done with it!" But in her haste to grab the plate away, Marinette had stepped on end of her dress and tripped.

She stumbled several feet forward as she tried to regain her balance by flailing her arms about at her sides, only to fall face first on the cold tile floor of the bakery.

"Marinette!" Cried out several voices, with many more whispering it.

The little girl pushed herself up off the floor with a whimper as the shock of falling on her face started to give way for pain. She started to sniffle, trying to hold in the tears. She couldn't cry today. This was going to be a happy day, for her and Big Brother.

She wouldn't cry!

Mama knelt down and embraced her suffering child in a much appreciated hug which Marinette was quick to return. And Big Brother and his friends whispered comforts and reassurances in her ear.

She… wouldn't… cry…

"Marinette, sweetie, are you hurt?" Her mama cooed, pulling away and looking over the girl before setting her eyes on the red mark on her forehead. "Do you need Mama to kiss it better?"

Marinette nodded her head, and could feel the pain go away as Mama kissed it away. She felt a little better now, and she managed not to cry. "Feel better now, sweetie?" Marinette nodded again with a quick sniffle. Her mama smiled at her reassuringly and gave her another kiss on the forehead.

"I am sorry, Marinette," She turned around to see the man who had almost taken Big Brother's cake looking down at her with an apologetic look on his face. "I didn't know you weren't done with your cake."

Marinette stared at him for a moment, then nodded. It had been an accident and he was sorry. Mama and Papa told her to forgive and forget, and since nothing _really_ bad happened, Marinette was willing to follow their advice.

Big Brother on the other hand was anything but.

Marinette could feel him around her, ready to strike out against the man if he should try something or should Marinette ask him to. It was always a bit scary when Big Brother got this way, especially after what happened when her pet hamster bit her finger. (Poor Monsieur Fuzzypants.)

She knew he was only trying to protect her, but she didn't need protecting right now. She fell because of her own clumsiness, not the man apologizing to her. She needed him to understand that.

"It's okay." Marinette said, both to the man and her brother. "It's my fault for forgetting it. Can I have it, please?" She held her hands out for the plate of cake.

The man smiled at her before picking the plate off the table and placing it in her waiting palms. "Here you go, birthday girl."

"Thank you!" With her prize now in her hands, Marinette made her way upstairs to where the show waited, though she walks with much more caution than earlier. She didn't want to fall again.

Or drop the cake.

 _Are you sure you're alright, Marinette?_ Big Brother whispered softly as they climbed up the stairs. _That stumble looked like it hurt a lot._

Marinette shook her head. "Nope! I'm all good," She whispered back, "it doesn't hurt anymore."

Brother made a strange, hissing sound. _Why did you want the rest of the cake? Your tummy does not grumble and her mouth is not watering. If you are not hungry, you should not force yourself to keep eating. It is bad for you._

"I'm saving it for later." She responded, then added. "Thank you for not hurting him."

He made another sound, Marinette couldn't really describe it. _Wanted to, wanted to very, very badly. Was his fault, not yours!_ He was quiet for a moment. _But I know you don't like to see others breaking, so I didn't._

Marinette smiled at his honesty. "Thank you." She whispered again, and went silent when they reached the floor where the show was to take place.

Marinette walked over to the open door of the living room, deducing the show was going to be in there, and was delighted to see her party guests, Papa, and a mysterious stranger wearing a blue cape and a matching pointy hat.

When the stranger saw her, he flashed her a smile. "Ah, there's the birthday girl! Come closer, my dear, and witness the magical might of Schmendrick the Magician!" He threw out his hands in a dramatic fashion, earning cheers and squeals from his young audience demanding him to start the show.

A smile on her face and Brother's cake in her hands, Marinette made her way to the front of the audience, eager and excited to see what great tricks the magician had in store.

* * *

 **~o0o~**

* * *

"Thank you for coming!" Mama said as the final party guests left the bakery.

"Bye! Thanks for coming!" Marinette parroted, waving goodbye to them as they waved back.

The party had been an amazing amount of fun for Marinette. From the cake to the magic show to all the presents she got, (the beginner's sewing set especially), Marinette had had a blast. And so much in one day, not even a whole day; the sun was still in the sky. Who knew so many things could happen in just a few hours?

Marinette defiantly did not. But the party wasn't over yet, not for Marinette and her big brother anyway. She still needed to give him his gift.

"Mama?" Marinette asked with a tug of her mama's pant leg. "Can I go up to the balcony really quick? I left something up there yesterday and I need to get it back."

Mama smiled down at her, "Of course you can sweetie. Just let me help your father clean up this mess and we'll-"

"Can I get it by myself?" She asked with her hands behind her back and a begging look in her eyes. "I promise to be super careful."

Her mama gained an uncertain look, but as Marinette's sad, adorable face works its magic on, she found herself unable to resist the request.

"Okay sweetie, just as long as you promise to be careful."

Marinette hugged her mama's leg in gratitude. "Thank you, Mama! I promise to be super-duper careful!" The little girl wasted no time. She bolted up the stairs and into the attic where she climbed up to the loft where the window leading out to the balcony was.

The window was on the ceiling, but Papa had bought a tiny ladder so Marinette could reach it, (after many protests about how a big girl did things on her own). She climbed up the ladder carefully, like she promised, unlocked the window, pushed it open and climbed onto the balcony.

Her friends that lived outside of the house greeted her and welcomed her up and congratulated her for her birthday, which they had overheard through the windows and walls. Though she was always happy to see her friends, Marinette could not speak or share secrets with them right now, she had a mission to complete. So, after politely excusing herself, Marinette made her way over to where she hid the box holding Big Brother's gift.

Marinette found it, and pulled the box out of its hiding place. Then, after taking a moment to make sure Brother wasn't watching her through the window/trapdoor, Marinette opened the box and gently took out the gift and put it inside her dress. After that, she closed the box, put it back in its place and went back inside.

It was a good thing she had the foresight to hide her gift in her dress because once she was back in the loft, she was met with Big Brother's inquisitive gaze.

 _What were you getting up there?_ He asked, his eye searching for something on her that hadn't been before. When nothing could be found, he asked, _was it new secrets?_

Marinette smiled knowingly and answered with "Follow me."

He blinked, but followed Marinette as she made her way out of the attic and towards her room. When she was inside, she quietly closed the door so Mama and Papa wouldn't hear anything. She waited for Big Brother to slip in from under the door before executing her plan.

"Surprise!" she whisper yelled.

In the middle of her room was her tea party table, and on it was the plate holding the slice of cake she had saved. She had placed it there after the magic show, utilizing all the hiding skills Big Brother had taught her to sneak past the grownups. Behind the plate was one of her drawings of her and Big Brother holding hands and smiling.

Big Brother didn't say anything, he just looked between Marinette and the cake. _What is this for?_ He asked finally.

"It's for you!" She answered.

His one eye blinked. _For me…?_

Marinette nodded her head. "M-hm! It's a thank you. For being the bestest, most amazingest big brother anyone could ask for!" She then reached into her dress and pulled out his gift. "And this is your birthday present!"

She held out the folded piece of paper to him, waiting for him to take it. After staring at it for a while, Big Brother plucked it from her hand and unfolded the paper to see its contents. When he did, he and his friends just stared at it.

After a while of nothing, Marinette broke the silence. "It's a suit. I designed it for you myself." She began pushing her fingertips together nervously when she didn't receive a response to her words. "Do… do you not like it?"

 _I… I don't know… I don't know what to say._ He finally said, his voice more whispery than she'd ever heard. _It's amazing, Marinette. More amazing than words can say. Thank you so much._

Marinette didn't fight the big smile that spread over her face. "You mean it?"

Big Brother wrapped his arms around her in a hug, gently embracing the small girl with all the sincerity a grateful sibling could. _More than anything, you make me so proud, Little Sister._ When he said that, Marinette hugged him back and felt tears pooling her eyes, but they were happy tears, like ones she had when she laughed too hard or got a really nice gift...

Or when she made her big brother proud...

For the rest of the day, Marinette, her big brother and his friends had their own little birthday party right there in her room. They played games, had cake, and enjoyed a masterful play featuring Brother's friends. It was during this second birthday party that Marinette decided they do this every year after.

Siblings should share everything with each other, right? So why not share a birthday?

* * *

 **Author's Note: Done. That was a very sweet chapter, huh? Well don't get comfortable because soon we'll be heading towards the SCHOOL YEARS *que scary organ music and lightning* and that means a certain well hated wench is on her way. What will happen when Conor hears about Chloe and her dislike of Marinette? Something I cannot wait to write, heheheheheheh….**

 **Did any of you find the reference? Yes, no, maybe so? Let me know!**

 **As always, Please, Fav, Follow, and Review! Thank You!**

 **DeadRich18 Out!**


	4. Chapter 3: School and Schemes

**I don't own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir. I do however own the original characters.**

 **Here you all go, Chapter Three! Hope you all like it! Not much else to say other than I am happy with how it turned out, and hope you all are too.**

 **Also, to those who didn't get the reference, it was the birthday party magician. He's one of the main characters from an old 80s animated movie called** _ **The Last Unicorn**_ **. Great movie, you should check it out some time, but watch the HD version because the standard version has audio problems.**

 **Onto the question, sort of sad no one else asked any but oh well…**

 **LambentSunny03: Sorry, I didn't respond in my last chapter. I try to get them out whenever I can, there is no schedule other than I work on a chapter of Casting Shadows then I work on Grimm Heir.**

 **Now here's the story!**

* * *

 **Casting Shadows**

 **Chapter Three: School & Schemes**

Marinette felt very nervous… and maybe a bit afraid.

After all, it was the start of school year and she wasn't a preschooler anymore, she was a first-grader now. That meant different teachers, different classes, different everything. She had just started really like preschool too, now Marinette would have to get used to grade school and all its weirdness.

Maybe she should've just done what Big Brother said and hid herself away so she didn't have to go. But Mama and Papa said education was important and that she would need it if she wanted to be successful in life. Marinette didn't know what that meant, but her parents knew things even Big Brother sometimes didn't so she listened to them.

The classes went by at what felt like a snail's pace, though Marinette wasn't all too concerned with that. She was too busy making herself as unnoticeable as she could, just like Big Brother taught her, so the other kids wouldn't notice her and the teacher wouldn't call on her.

Her brother's lessons were, in a way, one of the reasons she wanted to go to school in the first place, despite being so nervous about it. Marinette had learned a whole bunch of things from Big Brother and his friends, so when Papa told her school was a place where you learn things she got curious.

Marinette had learned a lot of things in preschool that Big Brother didn't know, like the alphabet and what numbers came after twenty, so the idea that grade school could give her even more knowledge was something she couldn't say no to.

But now she was kind of wishing she had…

It was just so… overwhelming for the little girl. Kids sat in separate desks instead of around tables, there was no nap time, the teacher would give them work they had to do after school when they got home, (sort of defeating the whole point of school in Marinette's mind), and those were only some of the things weird about first grade.

At least she still had her friends. The preschool and primary school shared the same building so the friends Marinette made in preschool were still around to help her out.

They really liked Marinette, liked her a whole lot. She was the only one in the whole building that could listen to them, the only one who was polite to them, the only one who could whisper and fade and scare like them. It made them impressed by her, and they happily shared their secrets with her and vice versa. For while a friend always likes to learn the secrets of others by listening unnoticed, they like it more when the secrets are given directly to them intentionally.

Friends share secrets with friends after all.

And they also cheer each other up.

When her friends first saw Marinette walk into her new classroom they knew something wasn't right. They tried to cheer her up with cheerful whispers and new secrets, telling her about what went on in schools when no one was around. She was very grateful for their concern, she really, really, really was, but if she talked she wouldn't be unnoticed anymore. They seemed to understand this after a while, and whispered they'd let the friends waiting for her on the playground know she was back before scampering away.

Marinette would share secrets with the friends inside the school after recess. They wouldn't mind the wait, friends are very patient.

When the recess bell rang, all the kids in her class ran for the door, but Marinette waited. She let the others leave first before following after them. The teacher jumped at the sound of Marinette getting out of her desk, having been completely oblivious to her attendance since roll call.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't notice you." The teacher apologized to Marinette, which made the girl smile with pride, much to the grownup's confusion.

"It's okay," she said as she skipped happily towards the door. "I was making sure you didn't." Marinette was in the hallway before the teacher could respond. The friends that had come to her in the classroom quickly swarmed Marinette again, congratulating her impressive skill in being unnoticed and asking for the secret to how she got so good.

She whispered, "Big Brother taught me", and her friends hissed in understanding.

None of the friends here had ever met Big Brother, but they knew him. Marinette told them about him when she first met them, showed them the treasure she took with her whenever she left the house. They loved learning about him, almost as much as they loved learning secrets.

Big Brother was like a famous movie star to her friends, a comparison that always made Marinette giggle, (like right now).

She shared secrets with her friends as they walked down the hall, telling them about her summer and the things she and Big Brother did together. As they walked and whispered together, Marinette found herself feeling less and less nervous and more and more happy. Marinette realized that despite how different and strange and new school was going to be she would always have her friends to help her along.

They still were mischievous though, as they didn't warn Marinette about the door to the playground until she walked right into it.

She uttered a short 'ow' and rubbed her head where it hurt most before pushing the door open and walking outside. Her friends inside laughed goodbye, which Marinette politely returned, (she knew they were not being mean about it), just as her playground friends slithered out of their hiding spots to greet her.

They were as excited and eager to see Marinette as her friends inside had been, begging for secrets she had learned over the summer. She politely shushed them, whispering she'd tell them everything when they were in the hideout.

The hideout was a secret place only Marinette and her playground friends knew about. They had shown her where it was during her first year of preschool, after they decided they needed a safe place to trade secrets. The hideout was in the corner of the school building, in one of the patches of the tall grass that were found along the walls of the school. In the grass was a space big enough for three kids sitting down to fit in without any trouble.

Marinette and her friends made their way to the hideout, both eager to share secrets, though Marinette had something else she wanted to share with them today.

Marinette crawled into their hideout, uncaring of the dry, dusty dirt that was clinging to her knees and hands. Her friends weaved in after her through the grass like snakes.

When she was inside, Marinette was surprised to see something in the hideout that hadn't been there the last time she was here. In the corner sat a flat rock slate about the size of two pieces of construction paper.

"What is this doing here?" She asked aloud, seeking an answer from her friends. She heard them giggle and coo and hiss with glee as they proclaimed they brought it here during summer break. It was to be her drawing board they whispered happily, so she could draw her pretty drawings in the hideout like she would inside.

Marinette blushed from the praise, thanking them graciously for their gift as she knew they had put great effort into it. Her friends in the school and on the playground were not like Big Brother's friends, they did not have anyone to show them how to move things until Marinette came, and even then she only showed them how to push and tip and pull small things like pencils and paper and cups. That they managed to move something as big and heavy and noticeable as a stone slab all the way into the hideout was amazing.

And all for her…

Marinette was so lucky to have such good friends, which reminded her.

"I have something to show you." She said, reaching into her overall's big center pocket and pulling out several pieces of folded up paper. Her friends gathered in around her as she opened up the papers and laid them down across the stone and the ground when she couldn't fit them all on the stone.

On the papers were several of her favorite drawings she had done over the summer. Her friends were fascinated by her work and whispered more praises into the little girl's ears.

Marinette also heard an edge of smugness in their whispers, probably due to them getting to see the drawings before the friends inside had despite meeting Marinette first. (The two groups had a bit of friendly rivalry going on).

Nevertheless, their whispers made Marinette happy. And even though she didn't have any paper or pencils or crayons or markers with her right now, she promised them she'd have some tomorrow.

This made her friends happy. They tickled her and whispered to her and listened to her for the entire recess period before she finally had to go back inside. She collected her drawings, quickly folding and putting them back in her pocket, before crawling out of the hideout.

As she made her way back inside the school, Marinette realized she wasn't nervous anymore. She was smiling and skipping and happy to be back in school. Not even the fact it was going to be different from preschool scared her anymore.

All thanks to her good, kind, thoughtful friends…

* * *

 **~o0o~**

* * *

It was here again… the day Conor and his friends had come to loath above all other days had come again despite all their efforts to thwart its coming.

Back to school day…

They tried, just like they tried the first time school started, to stop what this day would start. They hid important things, broke not-so important things, and caused as much mischief as they could to distract the others from school. But it was all in vain, every time, it was all in vain.

The things they hid were found, the things they broke were replaced, and the mischief they caused was ignored. It made Conor frustrated, really, really, really frustrated. He didn't understand why the others wanted this day to happen each and every year, why they talked of it with smiles on their faces and pride in their voices. It was like they were happy about it.

Happy… How could they be happy about this terrible thing? How could they be happy about forcing Marinette out of the house and away from Conor and his friends, keeping her from them for hours and hours and hours each day? How, how, how could they be so happy about it!?

And why was Marinette excited about it too? Didn't she like spending time inside the house? Didn't she like spending time with his friends? Didn't she like spending time with him?

Conor blamed the two others, Sabine and Tom, for making his little sister like this. She had been completely content with staying here in the house until they started taking her outside. It hadn't been so bad at first, they would only be out for an hour or two and never go very far. But it got worse. Marinette started going out more and more, each time the same length of many hours. She started taking a pack of supplies with her, full of paper and pencils and snacks. And each time she returned, she spoke of the strange place called _school_ where she learned things and made friends.

Conor and his friends were confused and outraged. They were her friends, they taught her things. What gave those others the right to send Marinette to this school place? To steal her away from her big brother and his friends? To rob him of her presence?

Conor wanted to put an end to these outings the first time Marinette explained them to him. He didn't care about the consequences, he did not approve of his little sister going into the dangerous world outside to do the exact same things they do here. He wanted to hide her away, to keep her safe, to keep her to himself and his friends.

But that smile on her face, the twinkle in her eyes, the spring in her step… Despite his anger towards it, Marinette actually liked the school, she really liked it. When she described the events at the place to the others and Conor and his friends, she always did so with a happy voice and happy eyes. She would go to sleep sharing the secrets she learned there with Conor and his friends, drifting off to slumber with a smile on her face.

It frustrated Conor, made him confused and annoyed and grumpy, but if school made Marinette so happy… maybe it wasn't… all bad…?

… … …

… … …

… … … Nope, nope, nope. It was still bad.

It might make her happy, it might make her excited, it might give her secrets to share, but when it came down to it, school kept Marinette away from Conor. And that was something he could not tolerate one bit.

So he schemed, he plotted, he thought of ways to keep Marinette inside.

Nothing worked. She was just too cunning, too smart, too clever. Marinette used the very things Conor and his friends had taught her to thwart each and every attempt they made.

So Conor and his friends were forced to endure her daily absences. Each day, they said goodbye to Marinette and waited anxiously in the house for her to come back. This went on for years, and his friends started to grow bored without Marinette around to teach and share secrets with. Conor grew bored too.

He and his friends tried to stave off the boredom by reading books and going on the internet and listening to the secrets of the others that came in for food, (the only thing Conor actually appreciated about school was it taught Marinette how to read and write, two things he did not know and two things she gladly taught him), but the books were uninteresting and the internet was… weird and the others that came in for food were never around long enough for them to learn anything fun.

Left with no other options, they started spooking the others again. Not Tom and Sabine, (despite Conor _really_ wanting to), but the others that came in for the food Tom and Sabine made. They were careful about which others they scared, usually going after the very young or the very old since the other others always seemed to disregard them.

It helped the boredom, but just barely. Honestly, if it hadn't been for the days where Marinette didn't need to go to school, Conor worried that he and his friends might have resorted to their more… effective tricks.

Conor was extremely grateful for those free days, or 'weekends', as Marinette and the others called them. Marinette would spend them in the house, where she belonged, playing and learning and designing with her brother and his friends. Sadly, they only lasted two days and wouldn't start again until after five more days of going to school. Marinette still had to spend most of her time away from the house and Conor and his friends. Unless it was those special times when weekends lasted the whole week, and sometimes longer.

Summer was one of these special times and also the longest of them. Conor quickly dubbed the season his favorite since it meant he could spend all his time with Marinette without having to worry about her going away every day.

But now summer was over, this day marked that. The day when Marinette went back to school, the end of summer and the start of fall. She had left earlier this morning, despite his many attempts at preventing her departure, she had left and wouldn't be back until the clock struck three.

Conor would sometimes spend the whole time staring at that clock, thinking it would go faster under his gaze. It didn't, no matter how hard he glared and stared and looked at it.

That was extremely evident today, as he had been unrelenting in his sight yet only watched the clock move one-

 _SLAM!_

The sound of a slammed door jolted Conor and his friends from their observations of the clock. Voices could be heard, Tom and Sabine's, they sounded worried, confused, agitated. Forceful stomps that climbed up the stairs diverted their attention away from the voices to see Marinette ascending the stairwell…

And she did not look happy…

Something was wrong, something was different, something was not right.

She had only just left the house, why had she come back so early? Had the school been canceled? Had it disappeared? His eye narrowed. Had it been mean to her?

Conor and his friends quickly went to Marinette's side to see what the matter was. He saw a scowl on her face, bloodshot eyes and what were definitely tear stains running down her cheeks.

 _Marinette?_ He asked in a worried voice, concerned by her current state, but received no answer. _Marinette what is wrong?_ She gave no reply, only continued her angry trek towards her room with Conor and his friends hot on her heels.

Conor and his friends slipped into her room right before she slammed the trapdoor shut with all the strength an angry eleven-year-old girl could muster, which was quite a lot surprisingly. Marinette rushed up to her bed, laid down in it, and screamed as loud as she could into her pillow over and over again until the angry screams turned into muffled sobs.

Conor quickly let his big brother instincts take over when he saw this. He set himself down on the bed, gently lifted Marinette up, and rocked her soothingly while making the hissing sound that calmed her since she was a baby. She leaned into his embrace, her crying dimming into tearful hiccups with each passing moment.

 _There, there, there, Little Sister. There, there, there._ Conor whispered into her ear as his friends offered their own whispers of comfort. _What has you so sad, so angry, so upset? Tell us, please._

"I got suspended from school!" She gasped out, emotion thick in her voice. "I came inside the classroom with a box of macaroons Papa made for me to give to class and I was giving them out when I tripped and I dropped them and this mean girl started laughing at me and calling me stupid and clumsy!"

Conor didn't know what being suspended meant, but when she said someone had insulted her and laughed at her he felt his missing half start to simmer. _What did you do?_ Trying his best to hold back the anger threatening to creep into his voice.

She sniffled and hiccupped for a bit before continuing her tale. "I tried ignoring her and pick up the macaroons, but she started stepping on them on purpose!" Her voice started to gain a hateful edge to it. "I asked her to stop but she didn't listen, so I got angry and pushed her and told her in the scary voice, (like you taught me), that I'd hurt her if she didn't leave me alone.

"She started crying like a baby and the teacher showed up. The girl lied to the teacher and said _I_ was picking on _her_ and that I said I'd kill her and that I should be kicked out of the school!" A mixture of sorrow and outrage stained her tone as she spoke. "I said she was lying, but the teacher didn't believe me and I got sent to the principal's office where he told me I was going to be suspended for the rest of the week!"

Tears ran down her cheeks, angry tears, outraged tears, wrathful tears. "It's not fair, it's not right, it's not true! She was the bad person, not me! She should be punished for being so mean, not me! She should be missing out on all the fun, not me!" Another wave of crying flooded over her and reduced her words to hateful babbling, pressing herself further into Conor's embrace, ignorant to the anger that was swelling inside her big brother.

Conor was beyond angry, beyond enraged, beyond infuriated! The mere notion, the mere thought, the mere idea that some filthy other had reduced his sweet caring sister to such a pitiful state made his missing half ignite with the righteous fury of a thousand suns.

So great was it that Conor's missing eye emerged from the hot flames that burned and charred and seared his face, though they no longer burned and charred and seared him like they once had. Not since he had dealt with _them_ had Conor had _both_ of his eyes to see with; it was strange. A good strange. A strange where he could hear over the cry for vengeance and retribution.

His eyes were both open, and through them he could see…

And what he saw made Conor smile with great satisfaction…

His rage subsided, his missing eye vanishing with the flames of his missing half. He looked down at the little sister in his arms, who was so consumed by her own sorrow she had missed her brother's indescribable state.

Conor was glad for it however. Marinette did not need to see him like… like that.

 _Do not worry, do not fret, do not fuss over this, Little Sister._ Conor told her, lifting her face up so she could see the smile stretching over his face. _You shall get back at this creature, this insect, this other for what it has done to you._

Marinette sniffed and tilted her head. "But that's what got me suspended in the first place!" She said with a weak voice, her throat no doubt sore from all the crying and screaming and yelling.

 _Not this time, not next time, not any other time._ He coiled himself around her body, shooing away the friends that had perched themselves over her form. _Because this time, you will go after the things it cannot protect, the things it cannot hide, the things it cannot disguise against you…_

 _You will go after its secrets, Little Sister._ Conor told her. _And we will show you how…_

* * *

 **~o0o~**

* * *

And show her he did.

Conor spent the whole of Marinette's suspension showing her how to use others' secrets against them so when she returned to school she would be ready to destroy that waste of space other that wronged her from the inside out.

It took time, a lot of time. Marinette needed to find the right secrets to use against this filthy other, a difficult task since this other, an ugly blonde thing that called itself Chloe, practically cloaked itself in false secrets according Marinette and her friends in the school.

But the patient and persistent always prevail. After months of sorting through the secrets she learned, Marinette had found the ones she would use against the other called Chloe.

Conor noticed that while these secrets were embarrassing and demeaning and hilarious none of them were cruel, or life ending, or soul crushing. Marinette had learned Chloe had many secrets like that yet she did not wish to use them in their plan of vengeance. He wondered why. If she made public these terrible secrets, then the embarrassment and shame and ridicule it would experience would eventually lead to the other ending its own life.

So why not use them?

The morning after they had selected the secrets to use, Conor asked his sister why she would use the more effective secrets against the other that wronged her.

He and his friends were surprised when Marinette said while she did not like Chloe, at all, she'd never go so far as to kill her.

Conor was awed by Marinette's mercy, despite disagreeing with it.

Still, the plan would forward. Marinette would use the skills Conor and his friends had taught her to spread the selected secrets throughout the school in ways that allowed others to hear them.

This also took a long time, but only because Marinette didn't want to "overdue it". She and her friends in school whispered the secrets into the ears of others one at a time.

The year went by. School started again. Marinette said the other known as Chloe was becoming paranoid and others looked at her with open disgust and hate thanks to the secrets Marinette and her friends had spread. Only one other stayed loyal to it, a pathetic creature Marinette said was called Sabrina. A good for nothing lapdog that deserved to be put down like its master.

One of Marinette's friends stole the other called Chloe's phone that year, slipping it into Marinette's purse to use against the other. Conor was excited, their plan would succeed far earlier with this device in their hands. Sadly, When Marinette got home and found the phone in her purse she refused to use it against the other called Chloe.

So Conor used it instead.

Using the skill of reading and writing that Marinette had taught him, Conor posted several of the other's most embarrassing and demeaning secrets on the internet while Marinette was asleep. When she left to sneak the phone back into the other called Chloe's locker she was none the wiser… until someone showed the posts to her at school.

She wouldn't talk to him or his friends for a week…

Marinette stopped spreading the secrets after that. She argued they had become no better than the other called Chloe and refused to continue the plan.

It was a mistake.

By the start of the next year, the other called Chloe had recovered from the chaos Conor had brought into its life with the posts and was back to its old pompous self, and even more arrogant than ever by Marinette's accounts. Marinette was still able to jab and poke and agitate the beast by mentioning the old secrets they had revealed about it. It wasn't enough in Conor's eye.

But Marinette refused to use secrets to harm others. She started using them to help others instead. She would come home, not with reports of triumph over the hated foe, but of friendships mended and ideas shared through the use of the secrets she learned.

Conor and his friends still wanted to make that creature pay for what it did to Marinette that day, for what it _continued_ to do to her, they wanted to see it squirm and beg and bleed for what it did.

Marinette wouldn't have it though. Every time he or his friends brought it up she would stop talking or concentrate on her designs or even go outside! Conor didn't like it when she did these things, he didn't like getting in arguments and fights with her either.

But it wasn't until she stopped taking the treasure he gave her on her sixth birthday outside with her, he knew he could never get her to agree to resuming the plan.

So Conor stopped badgering her about it and they went about their lives as they had before, as carefree and happy siblings.

But Conor and his friends _never_ gave up, they _never_ forgot, and they _never_ forgave…

They plotted in secret, in the dark when the moon was out and Marinette slept. They plotted of ways to exact their revenge on the monster that made his little sister cry, ways to make it scream and beg and cry…

It was only a matter of time until they could carry out their new plan… But that wasn't a problem…

They were very patient…

* * *

 **Author's Note: Got to tell you, this went through quite a bit of changes. I was going to have a few more scenes in it, for example Marinette's parents showing up at the principal's office or talking with her teacher during a conference, but both of them ended with Conor being made known to them, which I don't plan on happening just yet.**

 **Early childhood arc is done, next chapter we get into the actual show canon! I bet you're all wondering about Conor's reaction to Tiki. Or you remember the description and know he won't be having any of what she's selling.**

 **Also, Bloodborne inspired one of these scenes, try to figure out which one.**

 **Also again, the scene with the hideout was inspired by something I used to do when I was in elementary school. Our school was on hill and the playground was at the bottom, near the area where we left the school to go outside was a patch of ornamental tall grass that actually did have a space large enough for several kids to fit inside. It was me and my friends' hangout and none of the teachers knew about it... I think...**

 **Fun times...**

 **As Always: Please Fav, Follow, and Review! Thank You!**

 **DeadRich18 Out!**


	5. Chapter 4: Cherished Present, Hated Past

**I don't own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir. I do however own the original characters.**

 **Chapter four! I know I said I was going to focus on the next chapter of Grimm Heir before working on Casting Shadows, but I've been experiencing motivation issues for the Grimm Heir chapter I've been working on. Not writer's block, just motivation to write it. Probably since it is during a canon event that is very hard to work with.**

 **Pretty proud of this chapter. Not going to lie, was originally going to write both origin episodes in it but found that not only did I not need to do that, but that this way flowed much better. Plus, it would have been hella long.**

 **No reviews to answer this time. (Seriously, if you guys have something you'd like to say about this fic, say it. Praise or Criticism are both welcomed if the criticism is constructive). Onto the chapter!**

* * *

 **Casting Shadows**

 **Chapter Four: Cherished Present, Hated Past**

 _Beep! Beep! Beep!_

 _Beep! Beep! Beep!_

 _Bee-_

Conor growled silently at the phone on his little sister's bed, glaring at it hatefully for trying to wake his sister from her sleep. The stupid thing always did during the morning, using its loud, obnoxious, irritating beeping to wake Marinette up in what had to be the (second) rudest manner possible!

If he had his way, Conor would have smashed and stomped and broke the stupid thing and have his friends hide the pieces throughout the house for its transgressions, but since it was his sister's phone he tolerated its intolerableness. Though just barely.

"Thanks Conor." Marinette mumbles softly from beneath her covers. Conor says nothing, he simply lets his little sister drift silently back to sleep…

"Marinette! Are you up? You're going to be late for your first day back at school!"

And she's robbed of sleep again. Conor and his friends hissed down at the trapdoor from which the voice of the other, Sabine, came from. Why couldn't it let Marinette sleep in just once? What harm could come from missing a day of that stupid school where that _Chloe_ creature, insect, thing was waiting to mock and taunt and hurt his little sister?

No harm is what would come of it! No harm at all!

But Marinette obeyed the other's call and reluctantly crawled out from beneath her covers, a tired expression on her face as she called back to the other Sabine before getting out of the bed. Conor and his friends followed close behind her as she descended into the second floor of the house where the other currently was.

Marinette gives it a kiss on the cheek in greeting before sitting down at the table and preparing her morning meal. "I'll bet you anything that Chloe will be in my class again." She grumbles, both to the other as well as Conor and his friends who hiss and writhe and snarl silently at the mention of the hated thing.

"Four years in a row, is that possible?" the other called Sabine asked with surprise and worry. Both it and the other Tom knew about how mean and viscous and evil that monster was towards Marinette and they shared Conor and his friends' disdain for the creature, though it was nowhere near the amount he and his friends hated the thing.

"Definitely. Lucky me!" Marinette lamented as she poured brown powder into the bowl of milk in front of her.

Conor and his friends whisper reassuringly to Marinette, though are unnoticed by the other as it turns from whatever it is doing to comfort her. "Oh, don't say that!" She says positively. "It's the start of a new year; I'm sure everything will be just fine!"

Marinette looks back at the other and smiles, both at the words and the whispers and sets the box of powder back on the table. But she does it too hard, and a chain reaction of falling, spilling, and knocked over food is caused in response.

Conor quickly and discreetly alters the path of a rolling orange, preventing it from spilling over a cup of yogurt and reducing the amount of humiliation Marinette was feeling by at least a tiny bit.

It still got to her though, and the poor, sweet, tired girl groaned in defeat with a pitiful, sad, unhappy look marring her features.

 _There, there, there, Little Sister._ Conor hisses into her ear comfortingly as the other Sabine wipes up the food on the floor with a dishrag before rubbing Marinette's cheek with a similar goal to Conor's.

Both succeed, and are rewarded with a small, but bright, smile from Marinette before she begins to eat her breakfast.

Once she's finished, Marinette retreats back up to her room to take a quick shower and brush her teeth and change into her day clothes. Conor waits outside her bathroom door while she does the first of these things. He and his friends are not allowed inside the bathroom while Marinette is using it. The bathroom is a private place, Marinette had told him, brothers and sisters cannot be in one at the same time. It was a rule.

It was a strange, odd, silly rule to Conor, but it was a rule Marinette had insisted was true so he and his friends respected it.

When Marinette came out of the bathroom, she was already in her undergarments but was still drying her hair with a pink towel. Conor quickly took over this duty as to free up Marinette's hands so she could put on the rest of her clothes that his friends were so politely handing to her or even helping her into. When he felt her hair was sufficiently dry, Conor began the privileged job of combing out any knots and tying her hair into two adorable, cute, precious pigtails with beautiful red ribbon laces.

Normally, Marinette would do all these things herself, but in situations where she was running late for some meeting or event or other thing that took place outside the house Conor and his friends would help her get ready.

They wouldn't do it at first, but Marinette kept manipulating them into helping her anyway by using that adorable pouty face of hers on them; robbing them, preventing them, stealing from them any hope of refusing her request.

Eventually, Conor and his friends just stopped trying to resist her and submitted themselves to their new role, even if it pained and hurt and saddened them to watch her leave the safety of the house again and again and again.

"Thanks, you guys." Marinette says as she takes near-black gray from one of his friends' hands and puts it on. "I'll keep my ears open for new secrets to share with you. I bet your dying to learn what kind of things everyone at school's been up to over the summer."

The promise excited his friends, and Conor was admittedly curious himself. He did not like the school because it meant less time with Marinette, but it did provide some very interesting and curious and entertaining secrets that he and his friends could never learn while stuck in the house.

 _Just be careful out there, Marinette._ Conor whispers. _Be careful and watchful and mindful. Each time summer ends, new others come to your school place; you told us so._ His friends whisper words of agreement and warning too. _Be wary and distrustful and cautious towards them. They will have new secrets but they could also be mean and selfish and rude like the creature, beast, thing Chloe._

"Conor, don't worry. I'll be fine." She assures him with a smile. "I don't think I'll have to worry about dealing with someone _worse_ than Chloe in my class. No one's as bad as she is." Marinette puts on her shoes and picks up her backpack. "Besides, my friends will help me if something happens. They always do."

Conor was not convinced, he does not know the friends at her school, does not know if they are as good and reliable as his friends inside the house and on the balcony. However, Marinette trusts them and he trusts Marinette, so he does not voice his concern. _We will wait for you to come back._ He tells her as he places a gentle kiss on her forehead. _I love you, Little Sister._

Marinette smiles at him. "I love you too, Big Brother. I'll see you after school, with lots of secrets to share." She places a kiss of her own against his only cheek before scampering out of her room.

Conor sighs and his friends join in. They always hated letting her go outside, but they endured it as best they could.

They quickly went over to the window of the room that faced the school building, waiting to see Marinette running towards it, to make sure she gets there safe and sound. They all see her and crowd around the window to watch.

She's standing at the crosswalk now, and Conor notices she's holding a rectangular box he did not remember her having before she left the room. A friend that had been on the first floor informed him that the other named Tom had given Marinette a box of macaroons to share with the others in her class.

Conor frowned at that, never fond of things from his house being given freely to strangers. But before he could brood further on his loathing, disliking, hating of sharing things from his house, something caught his eye and the eyes of all his friends around the window, all of whom immediately perk up at its discovery.

An old other, dressed in a silly red shirt and holding a cane, was in the middle of the road despite the signal light thingy being red. It was walking very slowly and with great difficulty, unlikely to reach the other side any time soon. They all leaned in against the glass eagerly. This was going to be fun, they rarely got to enjoy something as entertaining as what was about to happen.

And this would be Marinette's first time watching one too! Oh, how Conor wished she hadn't left so quickly, they could have enjoyed this moment together, as brother and sister.

The friends up on the balcony called down to Conor and his friends in the bedroom, whispering about a car speeding towards the elderly other. It was moving fast and did not look to be slowing down at all, they said. He could hear his friends placing bets on what would happen, how hard the car would it the other, how much damage would be done, how much of the other would be left intact.

Conor himself placed his wager on the other being snapped in two by the force of the impact.

He could hear the roar of the car's engine now, growing closer and closer and closer. Conor had a huge grin on his face. This was going to be so good, so thrilling, so exhilarating!

But it was not to be…

Just as the other was about to be rammed by the car, Marinette jumped into the street and pulled the creature out of the car's path. As she pulled it back, she stumbled and fell, dropping the box of pastries onto the ground and scattering its contents.

Conor and his friends all let out disappointed whispering groans at Marinette's foolish action. It had been a stupid, dumb, dangerous thing for her to do, running out into the street like that, not to mention ruining what would have been a truly spectacular show. Entertainment like this was very rare for Conor and his friends to watch and enjoy, they've only seen it happen five or six times.

Conor glared down at this other that should have died. Glared at it as it just stood there, watching on as Marinette picked up the few macaroons that were still intact, not even bothering to help clean up the mess it caused. Then he snarled at it as it _took_ one of the macaroons out of the box without permission and began eating it right in front of her.

The nerve! The gall! The audacity!

Marinette gave the other an unnecessary (and completely undeserved) bow of apology before running off towards the school building, but Conor was not focusing on his little sister anymore, his eyes were on the other that had been walking so very slowly while on the crosswalk…

The other that was now walking at the same pace as the rest of the others…

The other that had deceived his little sister…

The other that was heading for his house…

Conor felt a predatory grin creep across his face. Time for some payback!

He and his friends slithered down to the first floor of his house with great speed and swiftness and stealth, so much so that the other had only just walked through the doorframe by time Conor and his friends had reached the bottom of the stairs.

Conor snarled at it from where he and his friends were hiding, hating it, loathing it, despising it for the content smile on its face. That smile of satisfaction. It was pleased with tricking his sister, pleased with deceiving her, pleased with fooling her.

Others like that were not welcomed in his house. Not welcomed at all.

Conor sends out one of his friends at the other. The friend shoots towards it like an arrow, grabbing its foot with such strength that when it tries to move it trips and falls down onto the hard floor. As it falls, Conor reaches out and swats the creature's cane away so that it would be without its support and have a harder time getting back up.

It groaned miserably as it laid there on the ground, trying to get back up only for Conor and his friends to push its limbs out from under it again and again and again, keeping it sprawled out on the floor like it deserved.

Their vengeance was cut short however, when the other named Tom walked over to the old one and helped it to its feet.

"Are you alright, sir?" The other named Tom asks, concern clear in its voice.

The old other grunts as it stands, holding onto the other named Tom's large arms with one hand as it rubs its back with the other one. "I am alright, but- oh, my back!" It moans pathetically with a fake, pretend, not real at all, grimace. Its legs quiver with false weakness as it places more of its weight on the other named Tom's arms.

"Do you need to sit down for a moment, sir?" The other named Sabine asks, having come over to help the other named Tom with the liar. "Do you have anyone we can call to come pick you up?"

"No, no, it is alright." The old lying other answered. "I just need to rest for a few minutes, thank you for your offer."

The two others look at each other with uncertain eyes, but do not say anything. The one named Sabine leads the lying creature upstairs to the second floor, where it sets it down on a chair. The other named Sabine offers to bring it some food or drink, but it declines. The other Sabine then returns to the first floor bakery, though not before promising to come back and check on it.

It just smiles that irritating, deceiving, arrogant smile of its.

Conor was going to rip that smile off its face.

The moment the other Sabine is back downstairs, Conor and his friends move in. They creep up towards the deceptive old other, ready to break and beat and bend the other for its transgressions against his little sister.

"I know you are here."

Conor and his friends freeze.

"Do not be afraid, I do not seek to harm you. Come out, so that I may see you."

This… This… This could not be possible. It just could not be possible!

How did the other know Conor was here? He had not made his presence known, had not spoken in the scary voice, had not left his hiding spot, so how did it know? Others were blind and deaf and dumb creatures. They could not notice beings like Conor and his friends unless they wanted to be noticed… unless…

Did this other have friends? Was it like himself and his precious Marinette?

Curiosity filled Conor, but caution and vengeance urged against fulfilling the other's request. He would not show himself, nor would his friends. The other was capable of noticing them, but it did not know _where_ they were, only that they were here in the room with it.

Conor then had a thought.

 _Get out…_

Normally others could not hear Conor unless he spoke in the scary voice, but this other was not normal. If it could notice him and his friends it must surely be capable of listening as well. Conor hissed the words with venom and poison and bile in his voice, his friends echoing his words with angry whispers of their own and ensuring the other could not determine where he was. _Leave, disappear, go away. You are not welcomed here, lying thief. Not welcomed. Get out…_

The other frowned, a thoughtful look on its wizened face. "Lying thief?" It repeated quietly. "I am afraid you are confused, Spirit, I am no-"

 _DO NOT LIE TO US!_ Conor shouted, shaking the room and the other itself with the force of his anger. He could feel his missing half starting to simmer again. _We saw you take what was not yours. We saw you take it without permission, without consent, without leave, and without compensation! You faked your lameness to take advantage of her kindness, her benevolence, her sweetness._

The other looked confused and shocked but not frightened by Conor's accusing words or his shaking of the room. This only served to anger Conor and his friends more, who hissed and snarled and cursed at the other sitting in its seat. "Her…?" It mumbled in thought, completely disregarding the angry brother's words.

Just as Conor was becoming fed up with this bizarre other, its eyes lit up and its mouth formed into an 'O' shape. "Oh! You mean the young lady who saved me on the crosswalk! Is she a friend of yours?"

 _Yes…_ Conor hissed, slithering up behind the other, ready to grab its head and rip it off. _We hold her dear._ _And you tricked her, stole from her, stole from_ me _, stole from_ us _. You did not pay for what you took. You did not pay… but you will now._

Conor waits a moment for the inevitable squeals for mercy. He wanted to hear it beg for forgiveness before tearing it apart. It made the whole thing more enjoyable, more entertaining, more… _fun_ …

But it did not beg. Instead, the old other reached into its pocket and took something out before holding out its clenched hand. It opened its fist and revealed a small black box resting in its palm. Red markings danced along the box, making it pretty and interesting and alluring.

Conor cocked his head at it, curiosity dulling the bloodlust inside him.

"I do intend to repay the girl for her actions, Spirit." The other says softly but firmly, no fear present in its voice. "Not with money, but with the jewels inside this case."

Conor blinked. Jewels? Trinkets? Charms? He and his friends knew about jewels, how others coveted and treasured and valued them. Many female others that came into his home wore jewels on their bodies in one place or another, mostly on their ears and fingers and necks.

Even the other Sabine possessed several pieces of jewelry, keeping them protected in a small box hidden inside the others' room.

For this one to be giving up something so coveted was unexpected… but not unwelcomed.

They would be ample compensation for the trouble it has put Marinette through.

Conor reaches out to take the box from the other's palm when he realizes something and retracts his hand.

 _How do I know this is not another deception? Another trick? Another scheme to take advantage of her!?_ He snarls the words right into its ear, finally getting a reaction out of it in the form of goosebumps across its skin.

"I promise you, spirit. This is no trick." The other does not turn to look at Conor as it speaks, keeping its eyes locked solely on the box in its hand. "I provide this case and the jewels inside as honest payment in exchange for the service performed by the girl of this house to compensate her lose and reward her heroism."

Heroism? Conor narrowed his eye at the phrasing, but could not hear any lies in the other's voice as it spoke, nor could his friends, who were far better than he ever could be at discerning deceptions.

Conor growled. He hissed. He snarled. But that was all he did.

The other had provided compensation, and though he wanted to break and rip and tear the thing to bits for its actions nonetheless, he would not. He wanted to, very badly in fact, but he would not.

Marinette would not approve of it, especially since proper compensation was provided.

Conor swipes the case out of the other's hand in the blink of an eye and retreats away from it with his friends close behind. _It will be sufficient, enough, adequate._ He hisses with contempt. _Now get. Out._

The other stares at its now empty hand for a moment before heeding Conor's advice and walking towards the door. But before it leaves, it turns to look back into the room where Conor and his friends were hiding. Its eyes searched for him and his friends, but they never found them, they were too well hidden.

"Farewell, Spirit." The other says with that annoying smile of its. "And please ensure that the young lady receives her payment."

And with that, the other leaves.

Conor sends one of his friends to keep watch on the other until it leaves the house. His friend is only gone a minute before returning and whispering of how the other is gone.

Conor thanks his friend, then goes up towards Marinette's room.

Of all the changes made to his house, this one was newest and perhaps the only one Conor did not hate, (aside from removing the fireplace). He and his friends had been very fond of the attic in its original state, using it as a hide away and treasure trove and other fun things, but they were far fonder of Marinette. So, when the others, Tom and Sabine announced their plan to change the attic into a new bedroom for Marinette as a birthday present several years ago, Conor and his friends did not object, did not brood, did not sulk, over its change for their attic would be made into something grand and beautiful and perfect for his little sister to live in.

It took many months, and Conor had to suffer the irritation of strangers, others he did not know or trust or like, coming into his house and smashing and breaking and tearing his attic apart, (it took all his self-control and the thought of how sad Marinette would be if he scared them all away that kept Conor and his friends from driving them away), but it was all worth it.

Conor and his friends liked it and Marinette loved it. It was much bigger than her old room, so she could put a lot more things in it. Marinette put many things in her new room, mostly things from her old room like her drawings and bed and computer, but she also put in new things like tables and rugs and even a tiny blue fridge. All the changes meant new hiding places too, which Conor and his friends had enjoyed locating, finding, discovering during the first week after its completion. But the nicest thing about it was the privacy it provided.

Conor did not need to worry about others coming up here as often as with Marinette's old room. It was out of the way, and they often just called up to her from below rather than come up when they wanted her to come down or ask her things, so Conor and his friends didn't need to hide as often as they used to when they were up here. They could move around freely in this room without fear of being seen or discovered or uncovered by the others, yet could still reach their hiding places if an other came up through the door.

Conor did not have to worry about that last part right now. The others, Tom and Sabine did not come up here during the days they were selling food on the first floor, so Conor and his friends had the whole room to themselves until Marinette returned.

Marinette…

Conor's thoughts drifted towards his little sister, or more specifically, her new jewels.

He looked at the tiny box in his hand with a suspicious, curious, wary glint in his eye. His friends were the same. Even though they had not heard deceit in the other's words they did not trust anything that was not Conor or Marinette.

They whispered words of caution and concern, not for him, but for Marinette. They wanted to see the jewels inside to make sure they _were_ jewels and not fake or dangerous or fake and dangerous. Conor agreed with them.

After all, nothing could hurt him and his friends, certainly not some tiny box's contents.

He flipped the lid of the box open with a tap of his finger, revealing a pair of earrings nestled snuggling on a red velvet cushion. The earrings were red too, and each had five black dots on them. They were like ladybugs.

Conor and his friends stared at them for a while, looking at them from many different angles. Conor picked one of them up and held it close to his eye, searching for anything dangerous on its tiny body then did the same with its twin.

He found nothing.

With a satisfied hiss, he placed the earrings gently back into the case and closed it with a _click_. Conor placed the tiny box on Marinette's desk, in front of her computer, so that she would see it when she got back home. Conor and his friends then slithered over to one of the room's windows, the one that faced Marinette's school building specifically, where he saw something that made him sneer.

It was that old other again, walking calmly across the street it had tricked Marinette on. Was it going back to its hole, maybe? Was it going to deceive other others? Conor did not know, and frankly, he didn't care.

It was out of his house, which was all he wanted from it… Still…

He looked back at the box it had provided as payment. Many of his friends were still staring at it, flipping it open and close over and over and over again. Conor himself was also still curious, but that feeling was drowned, buried, quelled by the distrust he still felt towards the old creature.

That other had many secrets, Conor could tell. From the moment it stepped inside, he and his friends knew it was hiding many secrets. Had they not been so enraged and angry and vengeful towards it for its transgression, they might have learned a few of them.

But it was not secrets Conor found himself pondering. It was the word the other had used to address him… spirit.

Spirit… Why had it called him that? What did it mean? Was it the word for beings like him? Beings with friends who could listen and hide and scare? Was it a spirit? Was Marinette a spirit? What did it mean?

Conor thought and thought and thought about what the word could mean and why the other had called him it but no matter how much he thought Conor could not make any sense of it.

Yet the word somehow felt familiar to him.

Was it a special word? Was it a real word? It certainly didn't sound like one to hi-

" _Where'd she hide the spirits, boy!?" An angry, slurred voice shouted as something impacted against his tiny curled up body. "I said, where!? Speak when you're being spoken to!"_

" _I-I don't know!" He cried out desperately. He was telling the truth, he really was. He didn't know where she put the spirits, she never tells anyone where she puts them, but the owner of the voice didn't believe him._

" _You little liar!" The owner of the voice grabbed him and brought him up to see glassy, bloodshot eyes staring back at his own tear-filled ones. "You tell me where that bitch of a wife hid my spirits right now!"_

 _He tried to say he didn't know, but all he could manage were strangled sobs-_

Conor flung himself away from the window and shrieked a loud and terrible shriek that cracked all the windows in the room as he forced the unwanted memory out, out, out of his mind. He grasped his head and shook it, shook it hard and fast to get rid of the bad memory, the hated memory, the despised memory. His friends tried to help him. They whispered nice things, pleasant things, not scary things into his ear to distract and calm him.

And it worked… sort of.

Conor stopped screaming, stopped shaking his head. He pushed himself into a corner of Marinette's room and sank down to the floor, reeling from the shock of what he had just experienced.

 _That_ was why the word spirit was so familiar to him. It was something from the time before, something _They_ drank, something _They_ craved, something _They_ wanted. Something _They_ would pour on him when he got hurt. Something that stung and bit and pinched like a hornet sting.

Why had the old other called him that? He was not some drink that was poured on cuts and stung. He was Conor! Not a spirit! Not a bad thing! He was Conor! Not a spirit!

This was a bad word, a bad word that caused bad memories. Conor would not let this word be spoken now or ever again. Not in his house! Not in his presence! He didn't want to remember _Them_ or anything and everything related to _Them_. Conor buried the memory, buried it, beat it, pushed it deep, deep, deep down so it would never come back and hurt him.

But it kept trying to surface, to return, to come back and show him scary, frightening, terrible things he did not want to see.

Conor needed to focus on good things! Yes, yes, yes. Good things. So the bad memory couldn't come back. Good things always killed the bad things, kept them down, kept them gone. He needed to focus on good things…

He needed to hold his treasure… The treasure always kept bad things away…

Conor's friends sensed this, knew this, comprehended this, and went to find and bring him his treasure. The treasure in this room, the treasure he gave Marinette that she stopped taking with her.

They found it and brought it to Conor. He took it with a thank you and held it close to his chest, focusing on his house, his friends, his sister. He rocked himself back and forth in the corner. His house, his friends, his sister. The bad memory started to fade away. His house, his friends, his sister. He started to calm down. His house, his friends, his sister.

His house, his friends, his sister. His house, his friends, his sister. His house, his friends, his sister.

Conor repeated his mantra, his chant, his simple hymn, over and over and over again. He was so fixated on it, so absorbed and focused, that he did not even register when the others, Tom and Sabine, came up to investigate his scream. They didn't notice him, just like he didn't notice them. For the entire time they were up here, neither noticed the other's presence. They left after a while, but Conor still did not notice, he was too dedicated to his mantra, his chant, his simple hymn.

For a long time, it was all Conor did, for a very long time, until the memory was finally gone and buried and locked away. Relief flooded through him as blissful ignorance returned to him, ignorance of the past, ignorance of a thing related to _Them_.

He was safe again…

His friends drew in around him, worried and concerned and afraid for him. They whispered pleasant things in his ear, things that made him feel even safer. It made Conor smile. He had such good friends. He was so fortunate to have them, very fortunate indeed.

Which was more than could be said for that old other.

Conor felt his missing half simmer at the thought of that other. This was its fault. It called him the bad word, made him remember the bad thing, this was all that other's fault.

He did not care the compensation it provided, he did not care about the tricks it played, he did not even care about what Marinette would think! If that other _ever_ came back to his house, Conor would kill it.

Kill it… and make sure it _never_ came back…

Just like he did to _Them_ …

* * *

 **Author's Note: Okay, first thing I'm going to clear up: Spirits are a term used for any type of unsweetened alcohol, and I know that Paris, and to a larger extent, France, drink wine more than spirits. I will go into more detail about why the person was drinking spirits instead of wine much later in the story, but really, I saw an opportunity for something interesting and I took it.**

 **Fortune favors the bold, after all.**

 **Other than that though, what did you all think about the chapter? It's been a long time since I wrote a chapter told from only one perspective, so I want to know what you thought. Liked it? Loved it? Hated it? Please tell me. Constructive criticism is welcomed as much as praise.**

 **As always: Please, Fav, Follow, and Review! Thank You!**

 **DeadRich18 Out!**


	6. STORY IS UP FOR ADOPTION

**THIS FIC IS NOW UP FOR ADOPTION!**

 **I am sorry to everyone that has been waiting for this story to continue, but Casting Shadows is placed up for adoption. I know I said I had this story's plot sort of figured out, but by the end of the last chapter I realized that this story would almost be a carbon copy of the canon show baring those episodes that took place in the house. Plus, I am not very familiar with French culture and history beyond what I learned from WW1 & WW2 documentaries, and feel like that this would detract from the story in one way or another.**

 **It was a spur of the moment sort of fic, in all honesty, something that I thought would keep going but just ran itself into the ground. That is not to say I will be taking this story down, at least not right away. I am still very fond of Casting Shadow's themes, characters, and would still like to see it continue.**

 **If anyone would like to pick it up, or knows someone who might want to, please contact me via Private Messaging.**

 **I will keep Casting Shadows up on until someone takes the up the story or, and I hope it doesn't happen, if no one comes forward over the next three months.**

 **Thank you, and I apologize again for anyone who was hoping this was a new chapter.**

 **DeadRich18 Out!**


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